Understanding Bipolar Disorder

This video explores bipolar disorder, a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood and energy, specifically presenting what bipolar disorder is and the symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis, and treatments associated with the disorder.

This video is provided for general and educational information only. Please consult your health care provider for Information about your health.

This video was made by McMaster students Sakshi Sinha and Paniz Poursharif in collaboration with the McMaster Demystifying Medicine Program.

Copyright McMaster University 2021

#DemystifyingMedicine, #MentalHealth

References
Lichtenstein, P., Yip, B. H., Björk, C., et al. (2009). Common genetic determinants of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Swedish families: A population-based study. The Lancet, 373(9659), 234-239. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(09)60072-6
Strakowski, S. M., Delbello, M. P., Sax, K. W. et al. (1999). Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Structural Abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56(3), 254. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.56.3.254

[BrownGeorge-pwxo]

I was severely traumatized years ago as a teenage, got diagnosed with Bipolar. Spent my whole life fighting Bipolar. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.

[enam]

Imagine having a huge family and nobody ever thought that I might have a mental disorder, i just think it's sad tbh, I'm 23 years old and people around me only thought I was just weird or acting they'd just tell me to "fix up" or stop being the way i am. 😕

[pathill]

I’m 52 fricking years old and I’m just dealing with this now. No more denial. Time to get this journey started. BP1 since my mid 20s but was just diagnosed 2 years ago. Nice to see ya’ll

[nickohira]

When my bipolar type 2 was bad my depression would be on and off for 2 to 4 weeks and then my hypomania would be on and off for 2 to 4 days and because I had substance abuse disorder and depression and anxiety I had a drinking problem and when I got drunk I would lose control and show some personality disorder cluster B symptoms 😔, this all happened in 2020 and now I'm better because I got help and support 🙂👍🏼

[TigerPaint]

When you are bipolar, you are in the process of releasing suppressed emotions...healing can take time sometimes decades. Take care.

[ID_Station]

This is a little embarrassing to talk about but I’ve lost a lot of friends because of this. When something doesn’t go my way or whenever someone treats me bad, I will just block them. I don’t think twice until a few days later and then I’ll just feel bad and forget why I was even upset.

[arainyday]

I am sixteen and just diagnosed with bipolar disorder II, i dont know if my doctor was just trying to get me out of the way but im greatful i was diagnosed early enough for me to get the care i need.

[rhondabaroli]

I have a loved one that's suffering from this at the present moment and we live about a thousand miles from her at this time ..she been thru some trauma recently and decided to stop taking medicine that would so help her .all we can do at this point she makes some good choices ..when she not in her manic depression mode she was the nicest sweetest person that would help a homeless person or anyone in need .I hope she gets help soon ...knowing she not in good path right now has us super worried but at least she does have some like family that checks on her .

[BlankName]

I was diagnosed with type 2 (among other things) at 24. But I had symptoms since 15. Also, at least where I live, people see the 3 types as a competition of severity. While I was hospitalized, someone told me type 2 is like the generic bipolar. It's that kind of moment where you can only blink and stare.

[jacknjill]

I had an ex old gf that a few years ago got diagnosed bipolar and now going to be 50 in Sept of this year. She really loved me and even still almost 3 decades later. But 30 years back, neither she or I thought it could be bipolar and just thought she was just very moody. It cause a big strain on me bc she always made bad decisions and I always had to come to her rescue and it wore me down. Plus she was on drugs and weed and still haven’t kicked the habit. She was the most beautiful nature beauty I had as a girlfriend, but all the drug use has taken a toll and I recently saw a current photo of her and was shocked on how much she had age. I don’t think she ever placed as much on her looks as other ppl. had on her. She told me once that ppl. like her bc of her looks and what she looks like on the outside and that I was great on the inside.

Back then I felt I found the girl of my dreams and not bc of her looks, but bc of her unique special way about her that separated herself from others. Not sure now if that was her being on drugs. Btw. I’m Chinese and she white from Texas and she was proud to be with me and even took me home to meet her family. Meaning many white pol. are still pressured to be with their own kind and not brave enough to step out of the norm. To be fair same with Chinese, but it’s usually the white male with Asian female and not so much the other way around. But she didn’t care what her family thought or other ppl. and always went with how she felt and I admired that bc I’m very much the same way.

So I haven’t spoken to her for about 4 years and bc she fb friend request me about 2 weeks ago, I first ignore, but started thinking to myself I’m never have someone that’ll love me as much as she does and I’m not getting any younger and going to be 60 this year. So I also thought maybe I was too hard on her and didn’t understand what she was going through. So i accepted and sent her a short message. In 3 days, I haven’t heard back, so I was reminded of how she never took my needs first and always about her. So I ended up blocking her bc the last message o sent her by text was to not contact me anymore. Anyway, I also wrote her sister on fb and didn’t know her well and only met once 29 years ago. I share all the things her sister put me through and the main thing was she never showed remorse and now I understand that she didn’t feel empathy. Well the sister wrote back and said she was the same and still on drugs and lying. She said she will not tell her sister on my details and that I would be better off not engaging with her sister. And that she was not alone in the world and she’s looking after her. Also found out through the sister that both parents had passed and that worried me 4 years ago when we were still speaking bc my ex had greatly depended on them and never had a stable job. Oh and she still acts like she’s 21 and she’s almost 50.

What sad is no matter how much you love each other, it’s very hard when you don’t understand bipolar and plus the drug use to have a healthy relationship with. I just hope one day she gets the help she needs for both the bipolar and drug addiction. So I know now many with this condition can’t help how they behave and think, but they also hurt many ppl. that are involved and care for them. Meaning, you may be for the most part stable, but you get pulled in by association and your life gets all turned upside down.

Thanks for reading and letting me also to vent.

[kspkxezlieko]

Trust me i know all the pain and trauma that you guys r going thru because i feel the same i want to feel normal again i've being suffering from this disorder from i was 15 now i'm 19 year old , i just really want to feel real again, we just need to pray🙏 for each other 😢😢

[tammybrowne]

I was diagnosed BP1. It was so disheartening to me. It made me realize why I couldn't keep a healthy relationship which really hurt me. Oh well right?

[TheoV]

wow i didn't know how many people actually had bipolar, makes me feel less alone

[teschchr]

I’m 61 and have had issues with this since I was a child. I’m SO frustrated that my Bipolar 2 wasn’t diagnosed sooner. Just figured it out today when I finally, through a different podcast the term dysphoric mania and read the symptoms. It was like a description of my life. I should have known….antidepressants didn’t work and about a month ago I was finally put on Lamotragine. Almost immediately felt better.

[theaterkid]

I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 in June. Right now I’m in a very bad depressive episode. It’s been about a week already so I hope it goes away soon.

[mikealalee]

Great so I'm crazy and will always he crazy and no one will ever love me because of it. Great. Glad this is my life now.

[punkemoranger]

you forgot to mention mixed episodes, episodes of psychosis both auditorial and visual hallucinations, as well as grandiose and delusional states along with the skewed way of thinking that having this condition causes for example it helps to re-afirm intent and talk people down logically this helps with letting go of the delusion

[Comand]

A very useful video, brief and concise. Thank you.

[christopherwalters]

It’s not a mental disorder to me, I just gotta live a life that’s a little different then others and I have to deal with feelings differently. I can’t take conventional normal people advice on feelings because I don’t relate or understand what they are talking about. Best way I can describe bipolar, it’s like being in and off drugs, without taking drugs. I think if people learned how to live with bipolar rather then think they have a disorder or illness, you could probably see a lot more amazing accompaniments out of bipolar people. We just have different brains. Why do we have different types of bodies and everything else but as soon as a brain functions different it’s a disorder. In a manic episode I feel euphoric and I’ve done things most people are not physically capable of doing. I have insane energy. I love it. If they wanna feed me medications why not just give me something that lifts me up when I feel down? I hated how I felt on meds, if that’s how normal people feel then I don’t care to be normal.

[javirodriguez]

I lived with depresion for about 4 years, , I had to take medication for about 3 years and is ugliest thing and all these symptoms are true, , like memory loss, , forgetfulness, , lack of sleep, , heart beat, , loneliness etc but I got over it...and now I'm one of the happiest person alive and it is sad that most of the people have you got to be strong and find out how to get out of that hole...